G20 leaders must end violence to boost prosperity

By Lucy Jamieson and Shanaaz Mathews

As South Africa prepares to host global leaders for the coming G20 summit under the theme "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability", the country faces a unique opportunity and responsibility to spotlight two of the world’s most urgent challenges — violence against women (VAW) and violence against children (VAC).

These interconnected forms of violence are not only grave human rights violations and public health crises; they also represent formidable barriers to sustainable development and economic prosperity.

Internationally, South Africa has emerged as a leader in efforts to end violence against children. At the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Bogotá last year, the country pledged concrete action. Now, as it assumes the G20 presidency, South Africa can build on this momentum — placing the intersections of VAC and VAW and their prevention at the heart of the G20 agenda. Doing so would affirm that disrupting intergenerational cycles of harm is essential to achieving the G20’s development goals.

Globally, one in three women experience physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV), while one billion children — or over half of all children aged two to 17 — experience violence at some point in their lifetime. In South Africa, 24% of women experience intimate partner violence, and 42% of children have faced at least one form of violence.

Ending violence is not just a moral imperative — it’s a smart economic investment

Violence against women and children is deeply interconnected. Both forms of violence co-occur in the same households and share common drivers — such as gender inequality, poverty and harmful social norms. They both lead to similar outcomes, including trauma, poor mental health and disrupted education. Children who grow up in violent homes are more likely to be victims of or perpetrate violence later in life.

Despite growing recognition of the interconnections, VAC and VAW are still treated as separate issues. Siloed policies translate into fractured services, which fail to reflect the reality of people’s lives, or lead to healing or justice. They are also discussed separately — if at all — in international forums such as the G20.

VAC and VAW carry profound social and economic costs. In South Africa, violence against children was estimated to cost nearly 5% of the country’s GDP in 2015. Globally, this cost can reach up to 8% of GDP, as countries lose billions annually in lost productivity, health-care expenses and the strain on justice systems. The long-term effects on individuals are also devastating; children who experience violence face a higher risk of mental health issues, substance abuse and chronic health conditions.

Ending violence is not just a moral imperative — it’s a smart economic investment. The Brave Movement estimates that the global cost of child sexual violence alone exceeds $7-trillion (about R121-trillion) each year. Investing in both prevention and response programmes can yield enormous economic and social benefits, and reduce long-term costs while fostering healthier, more productive societies.

Recognising the intersections of VAC and VAW is essential to addressing violence sustainably:

• Start early: preventing violence against women and children should begin early and continue. Early interventions can reduce harm and stop violence escalating.
• Invest in prevention: prevention services that stop violence reduce the cumulative effects and trauma, and are less expensive than response services.
• Embed programmes in existing systems: integrate effective programmes into health and education systems to ensure scalability and sustainability.
• Support the workforce: train service providers to ensure women and children feel safe, supported and in control.
• Co-ordinate responses: these should be tailored to the diverse needs of women and children, including adolescents, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQI+ community.

The G20 themes offers a powerful framework for addressing violence:

• Solidarity means recognising the shared burden of violence and committing to collective action. It requires acknowledging the intersections of VAW and VAC and ensuring high-quality, integrated services.
• Equality demands gender-transformative approaches that challenge inequalities and harmful social norms that condone violence. It also means engaging men and boys in the solution and responding to the needs of vulnerable groups.
• Sustainability calls for embedding effective programmes into existing systems. This will yield high returns over time, reducing social and economic costs and accelerating the growth of human capital.

South Africa must use its presidency of the summit to advocate an integrated response that addresses both problems simultaneously. The world is watching. Let us show that solidarity, equality and sustainability are not just themes — they are commitments. And let us begin by disrupting the intergenerational cycle of harm experienced by our women and children.

• Jamieson is a senior researcher at UCT’s Children’s Institute. Mathews is a professor at UCT’s health sciences faculty, and the evaluation lead for the global programme What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls. They are both editors of the newly released 'SA Child Gauge 2025: Intersections of violence against women and children’